This Major Retailer Is Canceling Black Friday This Year, and the Reason Why Will Make You Smile

Many stores are opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving to capture the Black Friday sales rush. But one retailer is going in the opposite direction and completely closing—for a very good reason.

Outdoor retailer REI announced it will be closing all 143 of its stores, its headquarters, and two distribution centers on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Instead, the co-op is paying all 12,000 employees so they can go outside with family and friends instead. Their website will also show a black screen on Black Friday to encourage the same thing of their customers, but will offer deals at other times during the holiday shopping season.

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It's part of their Opt Outside campaign, which encourages people to spend time outdoors instead of fighting crowds. Their specialty website offers a map of hiking trails around the country that shoppers can try for themselves. "We think that Black Friday has gotten out of hand and so we are choosing to invest in helping people get outside with loved ones this holiday season, over spending it in the aisles," president and CEO Jerry Stritzke said in a statement.

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According to Today.com, REI is joining retailers like Staples and Game Stop in fighting the Black Friday holiday creep. It's known for treating its employees well, and using that as a selling point for its outdoor gear. Hopefully it will pay off, since Black Friday is usually one of the company's biggest sales days. REI has crafted an ad campaign around "Opt Outside," and the nature scenes will make you want to strap on your hiking boots right now.